DOCSLIB.ORG

Spiritualities, Ethics, and Implications of Human Enhancement and Artificial Intelligence

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Spiritualities, Ethics, and Implications of Human Enhancement and Artificial Intelligence Spiritualities, ethics, and implications of human enhancement and artificial intelligence Edited by Christopher Hrynkow University of Saskatchewan Series in Philosophy Copyright © 2020 Vernon Press, an imprint of Vernon Art and Science Inc, on behalf of the author. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Vernon Art and Science Inc. www.vernonpress.com In the Americas: In the rest of the world: Vernon Press Vernon Press 1000 N West Street, C/Sancti Espiritu 17, Suite 1200, Wilmington, Malaga, 29006 Delaware 19801 Spain United States Series in Philosophy Library of Congress Control Number: 2019947991 ISBN: 978-1-62273-823-6 Irene J. Dabrowski and Anthony L. Haynor (authors of Chapter 3) wish to thank Ignatius Press for permission to quote extensively from Henri de Lubac’s The drama of atheist humanism (pages 400, 401, 403-409, 411, 414, 417, 420-422, 451-452, 468). To order this book, go to https://www.ignatius.com/The Drama-of-Atheist-Humanism-P528.aspx. Extended quotations from Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ presented in Chapter 8 used with official permission (N. 0003803/ 2019). © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2015. Product and company names mentioned in this work are the trademarks of their respective owners. While every care has been taken in preparing this work, neither the authors nor Vernon Art and Science Inc. may be held responsible for any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in it. Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been inadvertently overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition. Cover design by Vernon Press using elements designed by Freepik. Table of contents Setting the stage for conversations about human enhancement, artificial intelligence, and spirituality 1 1. Engaging issues at the intersection of human enhancement, artificial intelligence, and spirituality 3 Christopher Hrynkow University of Saskatchewan 2. Breaking the shackles of our genetic legacy 7 Ray Kurzweil Inventor, Author, Futurist Ethics of human enhancement and artificial intelligence 17 3. The ‘new person’ contested: Atheist humanist vs. Catholic worldviews on transhumanism 19 Irene J. Dabrowski St. John’s University Anthony L. Haynor Seton Hall University 4. Modeling moral values and spiritual commitments 43 Mark Graves University of Notre Dame Human enhancement in contemporary society 67 5. ‘Siri, tell me a joke’: Is there laughter in a transhuman future? 69 Una Stroda Independent Scholar 6. Making us better? Spirituality and enhancing athletes 87 Tracy J. Trothen Queen’s University 7. Cyborg clergy and bionic Popes: An analysis of technological human enhancement from a Roman Catholic bioethical perspective 113 Michael Caligiuri University of Manitoba 8. The harmony of metal and flesh: Cybernetic futures 139 Jacob Boss Indiana University Bloomington 9. Embodiment matters: integral ecology, science, the promises and challenges of radical life extension, and socio-ecological flourishing 159 Christopher Hrynkow University of Saskatchewan Worldviews and artificial intelligence 187 10. Possible consequences of AI and transhumanism: Health concerns surrounding unemployment, second class citizenship, and religious engagement 189 Braden Molhoek Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences at the Graduate Theological Union 11. Three theologies that influence how we view AI, technology, and the world 209 Christopher J. Benek The CoCreators Network 12. Fixed points in a changing world 227 Peter Robinson University of Cambridge Spirituality, the brain, and religious experience 243 13. Psychedelics, implants, spiritual enhancement, and a computational ethical proposal for harnessing spiritually augmenting BCIs 245 Philip Butler Loyola Marymount University 14. Rights and guidelines for protecting cognitive liberty in the age of neuro-engineering 269 Alan Weissenbacher Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences at the Graduate Theological Union List of Abbreviated Terms 285 About the Contributors 287 Index 293 Setting the stage for conversations about human enhancement, artificial intelligence, and spirituality 1. Engaging issues at the intersection of human enhancement, artificial intelligence, and spirituality Christopher Hrynkow University of Saskatchewan The majority of the papers in this volume have their origins in the inaugural conference of the Saskatchewan Center for Science and Religion, held in Vancouver BC in November 2017. This gathering was generously supported by the center’s founding benefactor Wei Lei. The goal of the conference was to initiate and deepen interdisciplinary conversations about human enhancement, artificial intelligence, and spirituality. Those able to attend were treated to papers, given by academics working from diverse perspectives including scientists and scholars of religion, who considered the spiritual implications of issues surrounding human enhancement and artificial intelligence. A wide-ranging dialogue ensued concerning topics like how artificial intelligence may augment spirituality or make it obsolete, the challenge of transhumanism for world religions, the religious-ethical implications of artificial intelligence, faith traditions’ reactions to efforts to engineer human enhancement, and the opportunities and significant tensions emerging for religious traditions in light of recent developments in artificial intelligence research. The conference opened with a memorable keynote address from Ray Kurzweil, a transcribed and edited excerpt of which performs the same function for this volume. Herein, Kurzweil situates his contribution in the area commonly named as transhumanism with references to religiosity and spirituality that will be of great interest to scholars in the field of religion and science. The interweaving of elements of his life story and family history with his views on the transformative potential of various information and intelligence technologies is fascinating. The keynote elicited some interesting questions for the audience and poignant responses from Kurzweil, a selection of which are also presented in edited form for the readers’ consideration. 4 Chapter 1 The subsequent chapters engage and contribute to the academic discourse surrounding human enhancement, artificial intelligence, and spirituality with foci on the authors’ respective areas of expertise. These body chapters begin with a sharp contrast to the perspective represented in Kurzweil’s contribution. Irene Dabrowski and Anthony Haynor compare their articulation of a Catholic worldview with what they illustrate, building upon the work of the Jesuit thinker Henri de Lubac, as atheist humanism’s foothold within transhumanism. Their chapter is helpful in setting the stage for the reader to ponder ethical undercurrents circulating among transhumanists. It also names an alternative bound together with their articulation of a Catholic worldview. Next, in this section, Mark Graves calls our attention to some of the ethical issues that come into play when AIs interact with models of human morality and spirituality. Graves shares a particular concern with how these models offer a space for AIs to undertake tasks in support of human flourishing, while navigating the thorny area of suffering. He also poignantly identifies some of the tensions that accompany efforts to construct models of shared human values that could be employed by AIs who will have a different embodiment than Homo Sapiens . These models can, in turn, allow them to interact morally with humans. Graves raises the possibilities of a modeling or morality that can integrate shared memories and hope along with social, religious, and shifting interpretative elements building upon the contributions of an already existing community of interpretation concerned with AI spirituality. Employing cutting edge methodologies for analyzing moral content, he draws our attention to the possibilities of AIs ability to process texts quickly as a potentially fruitful path to establishing such models, a path he frames as analogous to formal human study of morality and religiously significant texts. The present volume then turns to consider the implications of human enhancements within contemporary societies. It begins with Una Stroda employing Apple’s well-known Siri aid as an entry point to consider the place of humor in a transhumanist future. The body of her chapter considers how laughter is treated in diverse faith and cultural traditions through a comparative lens. Stroda then intriguingly considers how select aspirations of transhumanists will shift laughter and its manifestations as we know them. This section of the book ends with Tracy Trothen’s fine piece addressing the intersections amongst spirituality, religion, sport, and human enhancements. She presents several moral dilemmas in order to bring some of the latest developments and issues in human enhancement into dialogue with the theological concept of hope. Moreover, she relates both areas to the experiential elements of sport, from (1) performances that appear ‘perfect’ to external viewers to (2) the emic achievement of ‘flow’. Trothen leaves her reader contemplating the importance of hope for framing and shifting debates concerning the ethics of human enhancements in sport.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Robert Walser, Paul Scheerbart, and Joseph Roth Vi
    Telling Technology Contesting Narratives of Progress in Modernist Literature: Robert Walser, Paul Scheerbart, and Joseph Roth Vincent Hessling Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2018 © 2018 Vincent Hessling All rights reserved ABSTRACT Telling Technology Contesting Narratives of Progress in Modernist Literature: Robert Walser, Paul Scheerbart, and Joseph Roth Vincent Hessling Telling technology explores how modernist literature makes sense of technological change by means of narration. The dissertation consists of three case studies focusing on narrative texts by Robert Walser, Paul Scheerbart, and Joseph Roth. These authors write at a time when a crisis of ‘progress,’ understood as a basic concept of history, coincides with a crisis of narra- tion in the form of anthropocentric, action-based storytelling. Through close readings of their technographic writing, the case studies investigate how the three authors develop alter- native forms of narration so as to tackle the questions posed by the sweeping technological change in their day. Along with a deeper understanding of the individual literary texts, the dissertation establishes a theoretical framework to discuss questions of modern technology and agency through the lens of narrative theory. Table of Contents ABBREVIATIONS ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii INTRODUCTION: Toward a Narratology of Technological Change 1 CHAPTER I: Robert Walser’s Der Gehülfe: A Zero-Grade Narrative of Progress 26 1. The Employee as a Modern Topos 26 2. The Master and the Servant: A Farce on Progress 41 3. Irony of ‘Kaleidoscopic Focalization’ 50 4. The Inventions and their Distribution 55 5.
    [Show full text]
  • Graduate Studies Program
    GRADUATE STUDIES PROGRAM Welcome It is our pleasure to welcome you to Singularity University. Our mission is to assemble, educate and inspire leaders who strive to understand and facilitate the development of exponentially advancing technologies in order to address humanity’s grand challenges. Singularity University’s Graduate Studies Program brings together a diverse group–the most accomplished experts in academics, business, and government together with the brightest students from across the globe–for an intense ten-week summer program. The program immerses participants in an unparalleled convergence learning environment. We also challenge our students with our 109+ Team Projects, asking them how they can positively affect the lives of a billion people within 10 years. The next few decades will see the transformation of the science and technology tools available to the world in a fashion more profound than any other time in our history. The current technology revolution moves at an exponential pace, and exponential technologies imply a future with capabilities previously unimagined. Singularity University was founded using the standpoint that with more capability comes more responsibility. Our commitment is to not only to teach, but also to act: to view the world’s Grand Challenges as opportunities to use advancing technology for the benefit of all. If you are interested in the world’s grand challenges, if you are an entrepreneur passionate about making your dreams materialize, and if you are at the top of your class then we hope you will consider applying to the Graduate Studies Program. If you are invited to participate in this highly selective program, you will experience a life-changing 10-week program and join an incredible community of thinkers and doers.
    [Show full text]
  • Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2020
    Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2020 Published: 21 October 2019 ID: G00432920 Analyst(s): David Cearley, Nick Jones, David Smith, Brian Burke, Arun Chandrasekaran, CK Lu Strategic technology trends have the potential both to create opportunity and to drive significant disruption. Enterprise architecture and technology innovation leaders must evaluate these top trends to determine how combinations of trends can power their innovation strategies. Key Findings ■ Strategic technology trends have significant potential to create and respond to disruption and to power both transformation and optimization initiatives. ■ Artificial intelligence (AI) is a foundational catalyst for advanced process automation and human augmentation and engagement. ■ Physical environments including factories, offices and cities will become “smart spaces” within which people will interact through multiple touchpoints and sensory channels for an increasingly ambient experience. ■ Dealing with privacy, digital ethics and security challenges generated by AI, the Internet of Things (IoT)/edge, and other evolving technologies will become critical to maintain trust and avoid legal entanglements. Recommendations Enterprise architecture and technology innovation leaders must: ■ Center their innovation efforts on people and use tools such as personas, journey maps, technology radars, and roadmaps to evaluate opportunities, challenges and time frames for adoption. ■ Build an overarching view across functional and process silos and exploit a complementary set of tools including RPA, iBPMS, DTO, application development, and AI domains that guide how the tools are used and the systems they create are integrated. ■ Embrace multiexperience and implement development platforms and design principles to support conversational, immersive and increasingly ambient experiences. ■ Establish governance principles, policies, best practices and technology architectures to increase transparency and trust regarding data and the use of AI.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    M889 - FULLER TEXT.qxd 4/4/07 11:21 am Page 1 Phil's G4 Phil's G4:Users:phil:Public: PHIL'S JO Introduction Science and Technology Studies (STS) is an interdisciplinary field usually defined as the confluence of three fields with distinct intellec- tual lineages and orientations: history of science, philosophy of science, and sociology of science. All three have been marginal to their named disciplines, because surprisingly few of the original practitioners of history, philosophy, or sociology of science were primarily trained in history, philosophy, or sociology. Rather, they were natural or exact scientists who came to be disenchanted with the social entanglements of their chosen fields of study. In effect, they fell victim to an intellec- tual bait-and-switch, whereby the reasons they entered science failed to explain science’s continued support in the wider society. This point often makes STS appear more critical than many of its practitioners intend it to be. STS researchers are virtually in agreement that people tend to like science for the wrong reasons (i.e. they are too easily taken in by its hype), but relatively few STS researchers would thereby con- clude that there are no good reasons to like science. There have been three generations of STS research, and each tells a different story of disenchantment with science. First, the logical pos- itivists, including Karl Popper, were keen to protect the theoretical base of science from the technological devastation that was wrought in its name during World War I. Next, Thomas Kuhn and his con- temporaries on both sides of the Atlantic – including Paul Feyerabend, Imre Lakatos, Stephen Toulmin, Derek de Solla Price – tried to do the same vis-à-vis World War II, though, more than the previous genera- tion, they relied on science’s past for normative guidance, largely out of a realization of technology’s contemporary role in scaling up the sci- entific enterprise and giving it forward momentum.
    [Show full text]
  • Essays on the Ethics of Emerging Technologies
    CRUCIAL CONSIDERATIONS: ESSAYS ON THE ETHICS OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES KARIM A. JEBARI Licentiate Thesis Stockholm, Sweden 2012 Abstract. Jebari, Karim A. 2012. Crucial Considerations: Essays on the Ethics of Emerging Technologies Theses in Philosophy from the Royal Institute of Technology 42. 79 + vi pp. Stockholm. ISBN 978-91-637- 2006-2 Essay I explores brain machine interface (BMI) technologies. These make direct communication between the brain and a machine possible by means of electrical stimuli. This essay reviews the existing and emerging technologies in this field and offers a systematic inquiry into the relevant ethical problem ii This licentiate thesis consists of an introduction and the following essays: I. Jebari, Karim A., “Brain Machine Interface and Human Enhancement. An Ethical Review” Forthcoming in Neuroethics II. Jebari, Karim A. and Hansson, Sven Oven., “European Public Deliberation on Brain Machine Interface Technology” Submitted manuscript III. Jebari, Karim A., “Three Kinds of Moral Enhancement” Submitted manuscript © 2012 by Karim A. Jebari ISSN 1650-8831 ISBN 978-91-637-2006-2 Printed in Stockholm, Sweden by E-print AB 2012 iii CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vi INTRODUCTION 1 I. Previous research on human enhancement 1 II. Human enhancement and public discourse 3 III. Human dignity 4 IV. Summary of the essays 7 V. Sammanfattning på svenska 9 ESSAYS I. BRAIN MACHINE INTERFACE AND HUMAN ENHANCEMENT. AN ETHICAL REVIEW 17 1. Introduction 17 2. Existing Brain Machine Interfaces 19 3. Experimental technologies 23 4. Ethical considerations 27 5. Concluding remarks 33 II. EUROPEAN PUBLIC DELIBERATION ON BRAIN MACHINE INTERFACE TECHNOLOGY 34 1. Introduction 34 2. Theoretical background 36 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Transhumanism, Progress and the Future
    A peer-reviewed electronic journal published by the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies ISSN 1541-0099 20(2) – December 2009 Transhumanism, Progress and the Future Philippe Verdoux [email protected] Journal of Evolution and Technology - Vol. 20 Issue 2 –December 2009 - pgs 49-69 http://jetpress.org/v20/verdoux.htm Abstract This paper argues that one can advocate a moral imperative to pursue enhancement technologies while at the same time rejecting the historical reality of progress and holding a pessimistic view of the future. The first half of the paper puts forth several arguments for why progress is illusory and why one has good reason to be pessimistic about the future of humanity (and posthumanity). The second half then argues that this is entirely consistent with also championing the futurological vision of transhumanism. The claim is that, relative to the alternatives proposed, this vision actually offers the safest route into the future, even if it also entails an increase in the probability of self-annihilation. 1. Transhumanism and progress Transhumanism is a recent philosophical and cultural movement that has both descriptive and normative components: (1) the descriptive claim is that current and anticipated future technologies will make it possible to radically alter both our world and persons, not just by “enhancing” the capacities that we already have but also by adding entirely new capacities not previously had.1 (2) The normative claim is that we ought to do what we can to foment and accelerate the creation of such “enhancement” technologies, thereby converting the possibility of a “posthuman” future into an actuality.
    [Show full text]
  • Transhumanism and Its Critics on the Ethics of Enhancement Via Brain-Computer Interfacing
    Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 4-17-2014 12:00 AM Cultivating Better Brains: Transhumanism and its Critics on the Ethics of Enhancement Via Brain-computer Interfacing Matthew Devlin The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Tim Blackmore The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Media Studies A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Master of Arts © Matthew Devlin 2014 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Film and Media Studies Commons Recommended Citation Devlin, Matthew, "Cultivating Better Brains: Transhumanism and its Critics on the Ethics of Enhancement Via Brain-computer Interfacing" (2014). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 1946. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/1946 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CULTIVATING BETTER BRAINS: TRANSHUMANISM AND ITS CRITICS ON THE ETHICS OF COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT VIA BRAIN-COMPUTER INTERFACING (Thesis format: Monograph) by Matthew Devlin Graduate Program in Media Studies A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Matthew Devlin 2014 Abstract Transhumanists contend that enhancing the human brain—a subfield of human enhancement called cognitive enhancement—is both a crucial and desirable pursuit, supporting the cultivation of a better world.
    [Show full text]
  • Why Principles Should Play a Limited Role in Policy Making
    Knowledge kills action – Why principles should play a limited role in policy making J. Britt Holbrook, Georgia Institute of Technology Adam Briggle, University of North Texas This essay argues that principles should play a limited role in policy making. It first illustrates the dilemma of timely action in the face of uncertain unintended consequences. It then introduces the precautionary and proactionary principles as different alignments of knowledge and action within the policymaking process. The essay next considers a cynical and a hopeful reading of the role of these principles in public policy debates. We argue that the two principles, despite initial appearances, are not all that different when it comes to formulating public policy. We also suggest that allowing principles to determine our actions undermines the sense of autonomy necessary for true action. Keywords: Precautionary Principle; Proactionary Principle; Policy; Decision Procedure; Risk; Uncertainty; Autonomy Knowledge kills action. (Nietzsche)1 1. Knowing and acting How are knowledge and action related? This question is asked less often than another: When do we know enough to justify taking action? In the context of making science and technology policy, the question assumes yet a different form: When do we have sufficient scientific risk assessment about a new technological activity to warrant promoting that activity and embedding it in society? In this paper, we explore how the relation between knowledge and action should be structured in policymaking, which itself is both a kind of knowing and acting. Decision makers often confront a dilemma: Act too soon, and we create avoidable harms; but act too late, and we forfeit possible benefits.
    [Show full text]
  • The Nature of the Machine and the Collapse of Cybernetics
    BIBLIOGRAPHY Abraham, T. H. (2003). From theory to data: Representing neurons in the 1940s. Biology and Philosophy, 18(3), 415–426. Académie Catholique de France (2015). L’homme augmenté conduit-il au trans- humanisme?. Colloque annuel. Université Catholique de Lyon (Samedi 28 novembre). Adkins, B. M. (1951). The homeostat. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 2(7), 248. Alighieri, D. (1472). The Divine Comedy: The Vision of Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. H. F. Cary (Trans.). Chicago, IL: Thompson & Thomas (1901 – originally published in 1814). Ampère, A. M. (1838). Essai sur la philosophie des sciences. Paris, France: Bachelier. Aquinas, T. (OP) (1273) Summa Theologica. Notre Dame, IN: Christian Classics (1981 – originally published in English in 1911). Aristotle De Generatione Animalium. A. Platt (Trans.). Gloucestershire,UK: Clarendon Press. 1910. Asaro, P. (2006). On the origins of the synthetic mind: Working models, mechan- isms, and simulations. (Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign). Asaro, P. (2008). From mechanisms of adaptation to intelligence amplifiers: The philosophy of W. Ross ashby. In P. Husbands, O. Holland, & M. Wheeler (Eds.), The Mechanical Mind in History (pp. 149–184). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Asaro, P. (2010). Whatever happened to cybernetics?. In G. Friesinger, J. Grenzfurthner, T. Ballhausen, & V. Bauer (Eds.), Geist in der Maschine. © The Author(s) 2017 271 A. Malapi-Nelson, The Nature of the Machine and the Collapse of Cybernetics, Palgrave Studies in the Future of Humanity and its Successors, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-54517-2 272 BIBLIOGRAPHY Medien, Prozesse und Räume der Kybernetik (pp. 39–49). Vienna, Austria: Verlag Turia & Kant.
    [Show full text]
  • A Bioethical Paradigm for Enhanced, Post Or Transhumans in Medicine and Biological Research
    Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Summer 8-8-2020 A Bioethical Paradigm for Enhanced, Post or Transhumans in Medicine and Biological Research Roderick Williams Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Part of the Bioethics and Medical Ethics Commons, and the Medical Humanities Commons Recommended Citation Williams, R. (2020). A Bioethical Paradigm for Enhanced, Post or Transhumans in Medicine and Biological Research (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1923 This One-year Embargo is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. A BIOETHICAL PARADIGM FOR ENHANCED, POST OR TRANSHUMANS IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH A Dissertation Submitted to the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Roderick K. Williams August 2020 Copyright by Roderick K. Williams 2020 A BIOETHICAL PARADIGM FOR ENHANCED, POST OR TRANSHUMANS IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH By Roderick K. Williams Approved May 07, 2020 ________________________ ________________________ Joris Gielen, PhD Gerard Magill, PhD Director, Center for Healthcare Ethics Vernon F. Gallagher Chair for Associate Professor Healthcare Ethics Integration of Science, Theology, (Dissertation Chair) Philosophy and Law Professor of Healthcare Ethics (Committee Member) ________________________ _____________________ Joris Gielen, PhD Peter Osuji, PhD Associate Professor Assistant Professor Center for Healthcare Ethics Healthcare Ethics (Committee Member) (Committee Member) Kristine Blair, PhD Dean, McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts Professor and Dean of McAnulty College (Dean) iii ABSTRACT A BIOETHICAL PARADIGM FOR ENHANCED, POST OR TRANSHUMANS IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH By Roderick K.
    [Show full text]
  • Transhumanism: an Ontology of the World's Most Dangerous Idea
    TRANSHUMANISM: AN ONTOLOGY OF THE WORLD’S MOST DANGEROUS IDEA Benjamin D. Ross Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS May 2019 APPROVED: Robert Frodeman, Major Professor Adam Briggle, Committee Member Steve Fuller, Committee Member Doug Anderson, Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion David Holdeman, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Victor Prybutok, Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Ross, Benjamin D. Transhumanism: An Ontology of the World’s Most Dangerous Idea. Doctor of Philosophy (Philosophy), May 2019, 175 pp., reference list, 94 titles. Transhumanism is the name given to the cultural and philosophical movement which advocates radical human technological enhancement. In what follows, I use perspectives drawn from existential philosophy to problematize transhumanists' desire to recast human finitude as a series of technical problems with technical solutions. The ontological account of transhumanism offered here questions the assumed benefit and inevitability across six chapters. Following an introductory chapter, Chapter 2 introduces the key players, and present the philosophy of transhumanism and the opposing view of bioconservativism. Chapter 3 offers a narrative of transhumanism beginning with its mythical antecedents, and proceeds to describe the emergence of contemporary transhumanist institutions. Chapter 4 focuses on the challenge that transhumanists Aubrey de Grey and Ray Kurzweil present to mortality. The chapter asks whether human immortality is a coherent idea, and consider the consequences of achieving a data-driven amortality. Chapter 5 continues the analysis of transhumanism as it challenges limits to knowledge (ignorance), and limits to well-being (suffering). Ray Kurzweil is presented as a key figure of transhumanist thought, along with David Pearce, who desires to eradicate suffering through genetic engineering.
    [Show full text]
  • Who Should Govern the Welfare State 2.0? a Comment on Fuller David Budtz Pedersen, Aarhus University
    Social Epistemology Review and Reply Collective, 2013 Vol. 2, No. 12, 51-59. http://wp.me/p1Bfg0-19F Who Should Govern the Welfare State 2.0? A Comment on Fuller David Budtz Pedersen, Aarhus University Abstract In his thought-provoking exploration of the future of humanity, Steve Fuller envisages a new and strengthened role for the welfare state. The future transhumanist society will be inhabited by increasingly segregated classes of biological species, some of which have been successful in enhancing their biological condition beyond evolutionary determination. Others, however, will be trapped in Humanity 1.0 with no hope of getting access to expensive biomedical products or genetic services. Fuller emphasizes the “proactionary principle” as a new welfare model in which the benefits from risky experiments are redistributed to the wider society through taxation and compensation. Still, the basic philosophical question remains: what is the basis of solidarity between Humans 1.0 and Humans 2.0 in a world where citizens no longer will share a common biological condition. Distributive justice is key to Fuller’s proactionary ethics. In this comment, I examine the foundation of justice as outlined by Fuller. I propose a new set of political positions for the post-biological age (i) biolibertarianism, (ii) bioegalitarianism and (iii) bioutilitarianism. Two modes of government The basic argument in this paper is as follows: According to Fuller (2011, 2012a, 2013), at some future point in history cognitively and biologically enhanced Humans 2.0 will depart from Humans 1.0. In the future transhumanist society, the role of the welfare state is to stimulate experimentation, distribute positive effects, and compensate negative effects.
    [Show full text]